Flasher steam heating apparatus



Nov. 24, 1925.

D. DE VRIES FLASHER STEAM HEATING APPARATUS Filed April 8. 1924 3 Sheets-Shet 1 WITNESS Da'md DeYr "l TT ORNE Y 8 .2 9 t A. N .31 #s v l e e h S .3 s U T .A R` m4 BxnA sAw EG meq VHN. EMM DMv d DMN 5.1 RMF E H s A L F Nov. 24, 1925 Nov. 24, 1925.

1,562,498 D. DE: VRIES FLASHER STEAM HEATING APPARATUS Filed April 8, 1924 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 mms H f .9 Afro/mfr Patented Nov. 24, 1925.

UNITED STATES DANIEL DE VRIES, OF NUTLEY, NEW JERSEY.

FLASHER STEAM HEATTNG APPARATUS.

Application filed April 8, 1924. Serial No. 704,941.

T 0 all who/m t may concern.'

Be it known that l, DANIEL DE Vines; a citizen of the United States; residing at Nutley, in the county of Essex and Sta-te of N ew Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in .Flasher Steam Heating Apparatus, of which the following is a specification.

The principal object of this invention is to provide a steam heating system of the flasher type which may be utilized to bring the building or apartment to be heated to the desired temperature in the shortest possible time and which when in operation will require thel least possible amount of fuel for its maintenance. i

ln the drawings,

Fig. 1 is a front elevation of the apparatus, partly in section;

Figs. 2 and 3 are sections on line 2 2 and 8 3 of Fig. l;

Fig. 4 is a plan of the pan or plate of the generator, with a fragment of a certain gasket thereon;

Fig. 5 is a front elevation of the generator, partly in section;

`Fig. 6 shows the means for damping the water and fuel flow7 certain parts being in side elevation and others in section;

Fig. 7 is a section on line 66, liig. 6;

Fig. 8 is a side elevation of the manual adjusting device 13; y

Fig. 9 shows in vertical section the water damping means;

Fig. 10 is a plan thereof, with the cover removed; and

Fig. 1l is a plan of the fuel damping means; with the cover removed.

A horizontal rectangular metal plate c rests at its margin upon a rectangular angleiron frame b supported by four legs Z which may be braced below the frame by a metal strap ci, and upon the margin of the plate, with preferably an asbestos gasket a interposed, rests the base of a pyramidal casting c forming a hood having an internally threaded opening e at the top; on the basal flange c2 of the hood rest four lengths of angle iron f and g which form an upstanding wall all around that may afford support for a heat-insulating coating h, as of asbestos. The frame b, the plate, the gasket, the flange of the hood and the angle irons f g are all clamped together by bolts e'. A horizontal perforated pipe j for delivering water onto the plate extends through the dome and is supported thereby at a suitable level above the plate. In order that the water which is delivered by the pipe onto the plate may remain distributed thereover, as in the case the apparatus stands so that the plate is not exactly level, the plate is preferably provided with recesses a2 at different points over more or less-of its entire surface, as by corrugating it in concentric lines. A Bunsen burner heater ,7c is suitably supported under the plate, being preferably surrounded by a sheet metal skirt l attached to the legs (Z. The combustion space m formed by the platea and said skirt may have an outlet at a to a flue 0 which is suitably enlarged at its lower portion and may discharge into a chimney.

A pipe p for conveying the steam generated may be screwed into the opening e at the top of the dome; it may lead to radiators in the building or apartment. The condensate return or conductor of the system is afforded by a pipe g, a reservoir r into which it discharges and which may have a water-level gage r', a pipe s leading from the bottom of the reservoir to a valve chamber t anda pipe u leading from the valve chamber to and discharging into the pipe y'. It will be preferable to form pipe u as a coil and house it in the enlarged portion of the flue 0.

lThe water may be supplied to the system from a service pipe by the pipe e having a shut-off valve w which is normally closed. w is a drain pipe for the reservoir, having a normally closed shut-off valve a2.

The fuel (gas) for the heater is supplied by a pipe 1;/ which contains a valve chamber e carried by the extending ends of the angle irons f and leads to the heater.

Means is provided for damping the flow of the condensate through the condensate return or conductor and also for damping the heater, thus: The valve-chamber t is formed as a trap with an inlet t thereto (preferably of small capacity), and this inlet receives a valve 2 which is pivoted at 2a in and depends from the free end of an arm 3 projecting from a float l which is supported by the water always standing in the trap because the outlet of the latter to pipe u is elevated suitably abovev its bottom. The valve-chamber e receives in its inlet e the valve 5 which is suitably guide-d to move rectilineally and is connected by a link 6 to a lever 7 fulcrumed in the valve-chamber at a point substantially in line with the valve. A connection for operating the two valves is afforded by the following parts: Alined ver` tical rods 8 and 9 have, respectively, a pivotal connection at 10 with the arm 3 of the lioat and a slot-and-pin connection 11 with the lever 7, the-y passing through suit-able stuffing boxes in the valve chambers. These rods Lare `guided for vertical movement by arms Sla 9n fixed thereto which slide on a fixed guide rod 12 and they are connected by a coupling 13 to be described more in detail. The` upper rod of t-he connection 8- 13-9 is `pivo'ted to one arm of a lever lt fulcrumed at 15 and having a weight 1G ad-` justable on and along its other arm, which is ksubject to the upward pressure of a stem 17 bearing in a well known manner upon the diaphragm 18 forming the yielding wall of the steam chamber 19 of a diaphragm regulator which is connected with pipe p by the pipe 20.

The lever may beheld elevated in any way, to maintain the apparatus in the idle condition, as by a chain 21 adapted to be engaged with a hook or catch 22.

23 isa pipe for a pilot flame leading from the fgas :pipe g/ at a point relatively beyond the valve chamber.

The operation in general will be readily apparent. Admission of water to the generator (onto plate a thereof) and of fuel to feed 'the flame at the heater produces steam in the generator which vflows through pipe y), and, after doing service in heating, condenses and flows to reservoir r as condensate, and, from thence through trap t and :pipe a back to the generator; the steam pressure automatically regulates the damping of the heater and also the 'flow of the condensate by causing closing movement of the valves `and 2, being in turn subject to the adjustment of weight 1G along lever 14.

The inflow of water to the trap (assuming the pressure at the regulator 19 permits the lever 14 to stand more or 'less depressed, i. e., the connection 8-13-9 to stand more or less raised) tilts the lever formed by the lioat'el and its arm 3 from the full line position toward the dotted line position in Figure 9, or in the direction for closing the valve 2, and the arrangement is such that this gives vthe valve 2 a lead on the valve 5 when said'connection performs its downward or valve-closing movement. Vhen, therefore, said movement of the connection occurs the valve 2 seats lirst and is there- :upon subjected to yielding pressure because of the` float lever 4 3 which in now being depressed displaees a certain amount of water and this incident-ally overflows lfrom the trap through pipe 'La onto the plate a. T he vparts are shown in Figure 6 in the position where the steam pressure in the regulator has exerted its maximum influence on the lever let and hence on the connection 8-13-9, the lat-ter being at its downward limit because valve 5 is fully seated. Besides the function hereinafter stated, the entrapped body of water and the float lever afford in el'l'ect a cushion for the valve 2 on the seating thereof and to give it a desirable lead, in seating, on the valve so that when they are intended both to be closed or seated they will be both closed or seated, thus avoiding the diliiculty of setting and maintaining them, in an arrangement where each would be rigid relatively to the other, in precisely the proper spacing so that both would be fully closed at once.

The apparatus is rendered idle by supporting the lever 1st in the posit-ion where the valve 5 (and incidentally the valve is fully seated, as by engaging chain 21 with hoolt 22 (or it-.may be by any thermostatic controller).

Since valve 2 has a lead on valve 5 in seating, or on the downward movement of the connection SWL-(3 9, valve has of course a lead on valve 2 in the opening' movement of the valves or the rise of said connection, and consequently there will occur a preheating of the plate a before the water can till the trap t again suliiciently to `overflow and run onto the plate. But this would be only momentary and in order for t-he operator to the valve 5 more or less open (without water being admitted to the plate a) for a length of time that would insure a good prelieating of the plate a I construct the connection 8--13w-9 as follows:

The coupling` 1.3 has two slots receiving pins 8b 9b on the rods 8 and 9. The slot 13n has its two end portions perpendicular to the axis of the coupling but vthe intermediate portion inclined or pitched: the slot 13b is iuclined or pitched from end to end. The termini of one slot are displaced from each other vertically the same distance as those of the other. 1f the coupling be turned from the position of Fig. (3 till point 13 registers with the adjoining pin the connection will be shortened, and if this be done at the time the lever 14 is hooked up it will result in opening of valve 5 while valve 2 remains closed, giving the heater a lead on the admission of water to the generator when the apparatus is again to be started heating. Then the heater has operated a sutlicient length of time to properly heat the plate the operator, before releasing the lever 14, can either return the coupling to its original position or continue the turning thereof to the limit of the slots, either movement resulting` in restoring the connection 8-139 to its original length (i. e., the valve 5 to its original spacing from valve 2). The coupling may also be used, it will appear, to adjust the spacing of the valves, that is, to adjust the lead of valve 2 on valve 5 in the closing movement (or the lead of valve on valve 2 in the opening movement).

To ill the reservoir r the lever 14: is hooked up, closing valve 2, and valve w is opened, being closed when the gage shows the proper level to be assumed in the reservoir.

To obtain the maximum eficiency I have not only resorted to a steam generating apparatus of the flasher type but have conteniplated heating only so much water as is necessary for the purpose in hand and no more. Hence the employment ot means for damping the flow of the water to the generator, as well as the employment, as usual in such apparatus, of means to damp the heater. It makes it possible to preserve that condition in the generator where practically no water exists in the liquid state but only in the state of steam.

By utilizing the condensate instead ot' water taken trom the service pipe (in other words, by employing a closed system) I contribute further to the eliiciency of the apparatus, since the heat ot' the condensate is conserved. 'Ihe hot products of combustion in the flue o serve to raise the temperature of the condensate before its admission to the generator.

I-Iaving thus tully described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

l. A steam heating system including a steam generator and a water conductor leading thereto, in combination with a heater for the generator, back and forth movable means moved in one direction by the pressure in the system and including two valves seatable respectively to damp the flow through the conductor and to damp the heater, one oit the said valves having a lead on the other in seating, and means to cushion said lirstnamed valve in seating.

2. A steam heating system including a steam generator and a water conductor leading thereto, in combination with a heater 'for the generator, back and forth movable means moved in one direction by the pressure in the system and including two valves seatable respectively to damp the flow through the conductor and to damp the heater, one 'of said valves having a lead on the other in seating, and said conductor having a water trap, and `Float means in the trap to cushion said first-named valve on seating.

3. A steam heating system including a steam generator and a water conductor leading thereto and having a water trap, in combination with means movable to damp the flow through the conductor including a float arranged in the water in the trap and opposing such movement ot said means, and means, controlled by the pressure in the sys'- tem, to move the first means.

a. A steam heating system including a steam generator and a water conductor leading thereto, said conductor having a water trap provided with a water inlet, in combination with a movable means actuated by the pressure in the system, and a float device arranged in the trap and having a valve arranged to seat at said water inlet on downward movement of the float device, said means when moved by the pressure in the system being adapted to exert downward pressure on the float device.

5. A steam heating system including a steam generator and a water conductor leading thereto, said conductor having a water trap provided with a water inlet, in combination with a movable means actuated by the pressure in the system, and a float device arranged in the trap and having a valve arranged to seat at said water inlet on downward movement or' the float device, said means having pivotal connection with said device between its float and the valve and when moved by the pressure in the system being adapted to exert at said connection downward pressure on the float device.

In testimony whereof I atlix my signature.

DANIEL DE VRIES. 

